Rabies I felt drained, my jaw sore from grinding my teeth all night, damn Rundown. I found no motivation to create an elaborate explanation for Isabella. I twiddled my feet and looked around tiredly, waiting for some sort of instruction.
“Follow the corridor til it ends, then veer left,” DJ explained softly, resting his hand on my shoulder. His eyes were pinpoints. “There you’ll find a ladder. Climb it and exit through the manhole.”
“If you ever decide to come back, it will be your entrance point, so don’t forget it,” warned Isabella.
DJ shrugged with his hands, palms facing upwards, near his shoulders. I sulked off, gazing at him as he waved goodbye. What a great thanks for risking my life for him. He could have tried harder if he hadn’t been high. But would he?
I groaned as I pushed the cover of the manhole aside. After lifting myself out, I sat down heavily, my feet dangling down into the now foreign abyss. I sighed and scanned the area. Waves licked at the shore nearby as the red sun teased over the horizon. Hideous, colorless weeds sprouted from the wide cracks in the road. I yearned for DJ’s company. Our time together was limited, but something clicked between us. It was different than Ray. Ray only lusted for my skin. DJ’s demeanor held more promising aspects – he had a strong heart, one that cared about more than just “the mission”. I let my mind wander back to the tunnels where I had to chance to push M.E.R.E.D.I.T.H.’s lifeless body aside and take DJ for my own. I knew he loved her, but I also knew that a cyborg, even one as beautifully rendered as M, served as no substitute for the warm flesh and blood of a young woman. I seriously regretted failing to ask him to join me. A warm wind caressed my shoulders. Goose bumps crawled down my arms. I realized that Audra and Ray probably had some alone time right now. “FUCK!” I shouted with despair. I felt completely alone.
After a few moments, I reached into my pocket and fumbled for my matches. I only had two cigars, but at the time, I deserved one. I stroke the match on my studded belt and watched it burn for a moment, scrunched my nose at the sulphuric flare, then lit my cigar. I always treasured the first inhale most of all. I closed my eyes and held in the thick cigar smoke, leaning backwards on my elbow. The tobacco, too precious to simply puff on, clung to my lungs. I exhaled slowly, watching the smoke dissipate towards the city.
An enormously annoying siren interrupted my ritual. I continued smoking my cigar for a few minutes then decided to find out what was making that noise. Maybe whoever or whatever it was had some sort of technological device I could haggle for. I decided that I'd make my way back to DJ, eventually. I emptied the remaining tobacco into my little velvety satchel, stood up, and stretched. After kicking the cover back over the manhole, I started off towards the siren.
My feet ached. I hadn’t slept in days. My brother would have had something tremendously sarcastic to say about weakness to lighten my mood like he always did when I was young. I smiled at the sky, then peered to my right and saw some dogs roughing around on the beach. Ignoring them, I continued west. I always wanted a dog, but those guys didn’t look too friendly. Moments later, I heard them trotting towards me. Saliva dripped from their hungry mouths.
My eyes grew wide. I knew I wouldn’t be able to outrun those rabid fuckers. I threw some crabapples in their direction in hopes of a simple distraction. Unfortunately, simplicity was not their top priority; I was. In opposition to my intention, the crabapples enraged them to quicken their pace to a top speed, full on run. Unless I found safety soon, I was really screwed. Sweat beaded on my temples as my heart raced.
I spotted some high-stacked rubble and sprinted towards it. My heavy breathing clouded my hearing. Sweat stung the corners of my eyes. Adrenaline aided me to thrust my arms up. They grabbed a-hold of a cold, metal beam and I swung myself up like an acrobat. I signed in relief, but then noticed the dogs relentlessly jumping up at me. “Come on! Give it a rest!” I shouted at them. I rummaged through my bag and found some jerky. Hoping that the smelly meat would divert their attention, I threw it towards them. Fortunately, their heads jerked in the direction of the meat, sparing me enough time to scramble down the other side of the platform and escape their attack.
Despite the annoyance of the rubble, I moved quickly through the jungle gym of wreckage, fairly satisfied that the savage dogs were no longer a threat. Quietly, I crept from one opening to the next until I found the road. I looked down towards the direction of the siren. Nearly 6 blocks away, an ominous building protruded higher from the rest. Heavily armed men rushed around the base of it forming an impressive defensive line. On the other side of the block from them, two people that looked extraordinarily similar to Roen and Audra darted across the street and stumbled behind a building. I gawked in their direction with my jaw hanging askew. Could my vision have possibly been sensible after three days and no sleep? I didn’t give a damn. I picked at the chalky stones around me for a while, procrastinating in hopes that I’d forget about my friends. Completely unsuccessful. Angrily, I skipped a large rock down the street. Roen and Audra must have worried for me. Ray’s pride probably kept him quiet about it, but I knew missed my company.
I felt drained, my jaw sore from grinding my teeth all night, damn Rundown. I found no motivation to create an elaborate explanation for Isabella. I twiddled my feet and looked around tiredly, waiting for some sort of instruction.
“Follow the corridor til it ends, then veer left,” DJ explained softly, resting his hand on my shoulder. His eyes were pinpoints. “There you’ll find a ladder. Climb it and exit through the manhole.”
“If you ever decide to come back, it will be your entrance point, so don’t forget it,” warned Isabella.
DJ shrugged with his hands, palms facing upwards, near his shoulders. I sulked off, gazing at him as he waved goodbye. What a great thanks for risking my life for him. He could have tried harder if he hadn’t been high. But would he?
I groaned as I pushed the cover of the manhole aside. After lifting myself out, I sat down heavily, my feet dangling down into the now foreign abyss. I sighed and scanned the area. Waves licked at the shore nearby as the red sun teased over the horizon. Hideous, colorless weeds sprouted from the wide cracks in the road. I yearned for DJ’s company. Our time together was limited, but something clicked between us. It was different than Ray. Ray only lusted for my skin. DJ’s demeanor held more promising aspects – he had a strong heart, one that cared about more than just “the mission”. I let my mind wander back to the tunnels where I had to chance to push M.E.R.E.D.I.T.H.’s lifeless body aside and take DJ for my own. I knew he loved her, but I also knew that a cyborg, even one as beautifully rendered as M, served as no substitute for the warm flesh and blood of a young woman. I seriously regretted failing to ask him to join me. A warm wind caressed my shoulders. Goose bumps crawled down my arms. I realized that Audra and Ray probably had some alone time right now. “FUCK!” I shouted with despair. I felt completely alone.
After a few moments, I reached into my pocket and fumbled for my matches. I only had two cigars, but at the time, I deserved one. I stroke the match on my studded belt and watched it burn for a moment, scrunched my nose at the sulphuric flare, then lit my cigar. I always treasured the first inhale most of all. I closed my eyes and held in the thick cigar smoke, leaning backwards on my elbow. The tobacco, too precious to simply puff on, clung to my lungs. I exhaled slowly, watching the smoke dissipate towards the city.
An enormously annoying siren interrupted my ritual. I continued smoking my cigar for a few minutes then decided to find out what was making that noise. Maybe whoever or whatever it was had some sort of technological device I could haggle for. I decided that I'd make my way back to DJ, eventually. I emptied the remaining tobacco into my little velvety satchel, stood up, and stretched. After kicking the cover back over the manhole, I started off towards the siren.
My feet ached. I hadn’t slept in days. My brother would have had something tremendously sarcastic to say about weakness to lighten my mood like he always did when I was young. I smiled at the sky, then peered to my right and saw some dogs roughing around on the beach. Ignoring them, I continued west. I always wanted a dog, but those guys didn’t look too friendly. Moments later, I heard them trotting towards me. Saliva dripped from their hungry mouths.
My eyes grew wide. I knew I wouldn’t be able to outrun those rabid fuckers. I threw some crabapples in their direction in hopes of a simple distraction. Unfortunately, simplicity was not their top priority; I was. In opposition to my intention, the crabapples enraged them to quicken their pace to a top speed, full on run. Unless I found safety soon, I was really screwed. Sweat beaded on my temples as my heart raced.
I spotted some high-stacked rubble and sprinted towards it. My heavy breathing clouded my hearing. Sweat stung the corners of my eyes. Adrenaline aided me to thrust my arms up. They grabbed a-hold of a cold, metal beam and I swung myself up like an acrobat. I signed in relief, but then noticed the dogs relentlessly jumping up at me. “Come on! Give it a rest!” I shouted at them. I rummaged through my bag and found some jerky. Hoping that the smelly meat would divert their attention, I threw it towards them. Fortunately, their heads jerked in the direction of the meat, sparing me enough time to scramble down the other side of the platform and escape their attack.
Despite the annoyance of the rubble, I moved quickly through the jungle gym of wreckage, fairly satisfied that the savage dogs were no longer a threat. Quietly, I crept from one opening to the next until I found the road. I looked down towards the direction of the siren. Nearly 6 blocks away, an ominous building protruded higher from the rest. Heavily armed men rushed around the base of it forming an impressive defensive line. On the other side of the block from them, two people that looked extraordinarily similar to Roen and Audra darted across the street and stumbled behind a building. I gawked in their direction with my jaw hanging askew. Could my vision have possibly been sensible after three days and no sleep? I didn’t give a damn. I picked at the chalky stones around me for a while, procrastinating in hopes that I’d forget about my friends. Completely unsuccessful. Angrily, I skipped a large rock down the street. Roen and Audra must have worried for me. Ray’s pride probably kept him quiet about it, but I knew missed my company.